The Little Colonel

Another novel that I had to read for my Children and Culture class, The Little Colonel was actually pretty fun to read. My mother is very interested in the Civil War so reading a book that is set in the South not too long after the war and dealing in part with its aftermath was more interesting to me sue to the fact that I had background knowledge. 

The plot revolves are The Old Colonel who lost his son Tom and his right arm in the war fighting for the South. In the first chapter a small child and dog sneak into the old Colonel's strawberry garden and starts eating his crop. He soon finds out that this child is his own granddaughter, named Lloyd after him, but called the Little Colonel do to her temperament. Lloyd is the child of his only other child, Elizabeth, who the Old Colonel disowned for marrying a man from the North. You soon find out that Mr. Sherman, the Little Colonel's father lost all of his fortune and went out West to make more money while Elizabeth fell back on her inheritance from her mother, a cottage not far from Locust, the Old Colonel's estate. Through her own stubbornness and child like faith the Little Colonel heals her Grandfather's bitter heart as well as the family as a whole.   

Now in class we talked about the racism issue that surrounds the book. The African Americans are referred to in derogatory terms and speak in a dialect that is very stereotypical. I hate to admit that I really wouldn't have thought about it that closely if I had read the book on its own. I mean I would have seen how racist it is, but thinking about how it would effect children reading it never crossed my mind. Sometimes reading books in class doesn't ruin them completely, but makes you think more closely about the messages they convey whether they are positive. negative, conscious, or unconsciously made. 

For a kids book it isn't so bad, but I don't think it is anything that I would read to my child out of choice. I think a 3.2 out of 5 is what I would rate it. I am always struck about how sophisticated children's books in history. I mean this book wasn't extremely dense, but I could see upper elementary school kids reading it, not the age that I believe it was printed for.   

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

I love this series so much it hurts and with the last book coming out this August I figured it was about time I sat down and made sure I was up to date with all the members of the flock.

This story revolves around six extraordinary children, Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel. Think there names are weird, well that's because they picked them themselves. All six of them are only 98% human, the other 2% is avian DNA. The were kept in cages, being experimented on and put through hell, until one of the white coats, Jeb Batchelder, took them away to a secluded cabin and raised them. When the story starts Jeb has been missing for two years and Max at fourteen is running the show. Soon however Erasers show up and kidnap Angel. The flock sets out to rescue Angel, sending them back to the School. Soon Max finds out that Jeb isn't dead and she may have been made to save the world. They soon escape and head for New York to see if they can find where they came from and who their parents are. However they are constantly running from Erasers, the most brutal being Ari, and Max can't help but think they are tracking her from the computer chip she discovers in her arm. Max has to fight to keep the flock together, keep her head from exploding, figure out if she is crazy for listening to The Voice in her head, and figure out exactly how she feels about Fang, all while maybe saving the world. 

I want to be like Maximum Ride when I grow up (alright I am already well older then her, but whatever). I instantly connected with her the first time that I read this book. She is smart, snarky, brave, strong, but also has all the insecurities that a normal teenage girl would have. True these insecurities come from trying to keep herself and the rest of the flock alive, but it isn't hard to see a bit of yourself in Max. Many of the chapter are first person in Max's point-of-view so you are naturally more attached to her then the rest of the flock, but Patterson has also made her so believable that it is as if you are her friend as well. I think all of us could be a bit more like Max, well minus The Voice in her head.

Fang is Max's right hand man, and the tall, dark, and handsome type. He doesn't talk a lot, but for any discussions Max goes to Fang. They trust each other with their lives and are a very dynamic duo. Fang also tries to protect Max as well from Ari and other dangers and acts as head when Max is gone. Fang is also an amazing fighter as well as caring of the rest of the flock. Patterson does a great job in making a person who talks very little have such a deep personality. I am personally kind of in love with Fang and is the leading male character that doesn't get annoying or whiny, just a comforting presences that is always there. 

Iggy is the third oldest of the flock, but has the disadvantage of being blind. The White Coats tried to enhance his vision and blinded him. Where he lacks in sight he makes up in hearing and sense of touch. He lets the flock know of approaching danger before they can hear it and can also make a bomb out of almost anything. Iggy has a good bit of angst of him, which at times can be rather annoying, but considering his life so far you can let him off the hook a little. 

Nudge is known for one thing, her ability to talk your ear off. She is a bright and happy eleven year old, but she also has all the vulnerability that cones with that age. She tries her best to act like Max, but her mouth almost works faster then her brain. She also becomes a vegetarian during the story which throws another quark into the flock since they burn a lot of calories fighting. Nudge also has a stubborn streak in her, which gets her and Fang in some trouble, but overall she is really likable. I think you understand her a bit more because we get a chapter or two from her point of view.  

Gasman is the elder brother of Angel and when you think of a cute young boy, Gazzy is really the picture you get. He is named because of unfortunate bodily functions, but his real power is being able to mimic almost any voice. He is only eight years, but with the constant threat to the flock he tries to act older. It really breaks your heart when he breaks down because he is such a cute and likable kid, but you really don't get very close to him. 

Angel is the youngest of the flock and by far the most annoying. Maybe it is just because she is a little kid and little kids are, in fact, annoying, but by the end of the book I honestly have this disliking for her. I mean I know that six year olds are supposed to be a little selfish and under the circumstances a little crankiness can be understood, but there is just something...I don't know. Also I don't think her character is portrayed really well, she doesn't seem any younger then Nudge in the way she talks so it is hard to remember that she is a six year old sometimes. 

Now their are a load of "bad guys" in this book that are just basically labeled Erasers and White Coats. Only a few are mentioned by name, Jeb Batchelder and his son turned Eraser Ari. Jeb was like a father to the flock and saved them from the School where they grew up in cages. However when he took the flock he left his son Ari alone at the lab and he becomes an Eraser, though it isn't specified if it is by choice or not. Most of the book is dealing with Jeb and his betrayal of the flock while Ari beats the crap out of them whenever he gets the chance. At the end of the book Max fights with Ari and kills him while trying to save herself. She feels horrible about it, but when Jeb screams that Ari was actually her brother she becomes even more confused.

*spoiler alert*

Alright now I am all for romance as much as the next girl, as I am sure you can tell from the other novels I have posted about, but can I just say that the kiss between Max and Fang literally came out of no where. If there was one major criticism I have about this book is that it seemed that James Patterson just threw in the romance at the last minute. Now I love and want Max and Fang together, but I think if he held off until the second novel to present it I wouldn't feel like it was so forced. This is my second time reading through it and all the parts where you could see maybe some romantic inclination could easily be seen as close friend who have spent their whole lives together. I just think that it could have been set up better, especially since it becomes one of the many running story lines through out the series.

Overall I love this series and I like this book. If you have someone who doesn't like to read, give them this. The chapters are short and their is constant action making it really quick to get through. It is also an easy read so really anyone can enjoy it. The characters are lovable and the dialogue believable on top of an extraordinary plot line that when you think about isn't really that far fetched. I give it a 4.7 out of 5. 

Howl's Moving Castle

I had heard nothing but amazing reviews of this movie from almost everyone that I know, so now that I have been granted the magic of Netflix once again I decided that I should check it out. I have to say I wasn't disappointed.

The movie is set in a magical, yet easily identifiable land that is on the brink of war. We start with Sophie, an eighteen year old who takes up her father's hat shop after his death. One day when she goes to see her little sister Lettie she is accosted by two guards. A man steps in and saves her and with magic transports her to her sisters bakery. When Sophie returns to the hat shop, which is also her home, she is cursed by the witch of the waste who is after Howl's heart. Sophie is transformed into an old woman and decides to go to the north then burden anyone with her problems. As she goes further into the waste she rights a scarecrow which turns out to be enchanted by a witch. This scarecrow, which Sophie names Turnip head because of the vegetable that makes up his head, brings Howl's castle to her so she has somewhere to get out of the cold.  Sophie is scared at first, but remembering that Howl only eats the heart of pretty girls, goes inside and sits by the fire. She then meets Calcifer, a fire demon that is bound to Howl. Soon Sophie is cleaning the castle as well as taking care of Markl and finding out that Howl, though a powerful magician, is quite a coward. With Sophie's help he stands up to Madame Suliman, the King's official sorceress, but in the process of fighting off her henchmen gets into pretty bad trouble. Sophie, goes into Howl's childhood through his magic door and finds a way to help both Calcifer and Howl. I don't want to ruin the ending, but it is what you expect from a child's film, with a little twist. 

This is a movie that has to be seen more then one (or maybe just don't watch it for the first time at one in the morning) to get the full effect of the story. As I rewatched it a second time I started to notice little details here and there that made how we got the ending make so much more sense. Just to point out a few, all the colorful items in Howl's room and the cave that Sophie sees in her dream. Since he lost his heart as a child he still has childish desires, that is why he is selfish, only wants to be beautiful, and surrounds himself with toys and pretty things. I was more satisfied with the ending the second time (not that I didn't like it the first time or anything) The art work was absolutely amazing, I was blown away time and time again about how detailed and wonderful it was. I can't even praise the animation enough, everything was beautiful. 

*gif not mine credit to owner/marker*

I watched the English version so Howl's voice was Christian Bale and Calcifer was done by Billie Crystal. I don't know if I would have had a different reaction hearing the Japanese version, but there voices really drew me into the characters. I have always loved Christian Bale's voice, it is really beautiful when he isn't making it all raspy like in batman. I have always loved Billy Crystal and the fact that he was Calcifer made me love the character more then I already did. This being said, I can't help but feel that some of the scenes had a much bigger impact and seemed less...scripted...in the Japanese. I know it was supposed to be a children's movie, but at times I found myself going...really? As someone who watches a good deal of anime, both subbed and dubbed, it isn't as if I haven't had these moments before, but I might have to go find a subbed Japanese version to see if there is a major difference.     

*spoiler alert*

The ending, though wonderful and what is expected, has a really interesting aspect to it. I expected Turnip head to change back into a human and with a little of thought I could have figured out that he was the missing Prince. However I never saw coming that Sophie was his true love, yet she would be in love with Howl and Howl would be in love with her. My favorite line in the whole movie is when the Prince sees that Sophie is in love with Howl. "One thing you can always count on is that hearts change." I think this is a very powerful message and I really love it. I didn't see it coming, but thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Overall I give it a 4.8 out of 5. There was just some points at the awkward dialogue made me almost cringe. I am really excited to read the book that this was based on as well, though I hear that they are nothing like the movie. It is a really fun and great film with obvious messages and lessons to be learned. I recommend watching it.  

Inuyasha - Season 1

Though this is the first anime that I really got into and interested in, I have still yet to finish it. I get so far and then something comes up and I stop watching it. I am determined to completely finish it this time.

The story follows fifteen year old Kagome, who up until her most recent birthday is a normal teenage girl. When her cat wanders onto the building that holds hidden well on the shrine grounds that are also her home, Kagome is grabbed by a centipede monster and dragged into the well. She comes out in a new land many years in the past and is soon fighting the centipede monster again who says she posses the Sacred Jewel of the Four Souls. After the jewel is ripped from her body, Kagome has no choice but to release Inuyasha. Inuyasha, a half demon sealed fifty years ago for attempting to steal the jewel, reluctantly joins with Kagome to find all the shards that had shattered throughout Japan after Kagome shatters it with an arrow. Now there are a lot of episodes in this anime so I am going to break it down by season.

Inuyasha is the main male character in the anime (obviously since it is named after him) and a rather rough character at first. He is half demon, half human and wants to use the Sacred Jewel to turn into a full demon. Very early into the season though you learn Inuyasha kind of had a crappy life. He was excluded and ridiculed as a child because he was part demon, his brother Sesshomaru wants to kill him because he is half human and the woman he loved sealed him to a tree for fifty years. Not exactly the best life a guy could have. It gets worse when said love of his life comes back from the dead, but I'll deal with that a little later. Inuyasha also has a caring and sweet side that we get to see when Kagome is in danger. Inuyasha also gains possession of Tessaiga, a powerful sword made out of the fang of his father, which he can use because he wishes to protect humans, unlike his brother Sesshomaru.

Kagome is the main female lead and it is safe to say that the series could have just as easily been named Kagome as it could have been named Inuyasha. Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, Inuyasha's first love and a powerful priestess. Now, at times Kagome can be your typical anime girl, annoying always screaming for Inuyasha ect. but that isn't all the time which makes her a lot easier to stand. You have to admire the way she deals with the whole Inuyasha, Kikyo thing even if she won't admit to herself that she is in love with him. As many people have pointed out, the series could have easily been called Kagome because we follow her and know more about her then we do Inuyasha. 

Shippo is a young fox demon who joins the party after Inuyasha saves him from the Thunder Brothers who killed Shippo's father. Inuyasha and Shippo don't get along very well, but Kagome took a quick liking to him because he was so cute and made Inuyasha let him join them. Shippo most of the time is comic relief, he has little fighting ability and at times gets kind of annoying. I love Shippo, don't get me wrong, he is funny and at times very insightful, but like all little kids he gets in my nerves sometimes. 

Miroku, a Buddhist monk, comes into the series as another person looking for the sacred jewel. Though he is a good man at heart he has a lecherous streak and doesn't miss an opportunity to touch a pretty girls butt. He doesn't agree to join Inuyasha and the others until he see Kagome pick up a tainted piece of the sacred jewel and purify it immediately. It is from Miroku that we first hear about Naraku, a powerful demon who is collecting the jewel fragments himself. Miroku needs to find and kill Naraku to lift a curse that has been put on his family causing there to be a tunnel in their right hand that will suck everything into it. If Miroku can not kill Naraku in time he himself will be sucked into the wind tunnel. He uses this as an excuse to ask any beautiful woman he sees to bear his children.    

Sango and Kirara (pronounce Kilala) round out the party that travel with Inuyasha and. We don't met her until the 24th episode of the series. Sango comes from a special village of demon slayers and Kirara, though a demon, is her helper and pet. Sango is actually sent to kill Inuyasha because she believes he destroyed her village. This news comes after her younger brother, Kohaku, was possessed by a demon to kill their father and attempt to kill her. Kohaku is killed by palace guards leaving Sango alone besides for Kirara. After finding out that Naraku is behind the destruction of her village she joins Inuyasha's party reluctantly, but soon is drawn in my their friendship and warmth. 

I have so many mixed feelings about Kikyo. In the first season I truly do feel bad for her, however since I know what happens in later seasons I have grown to really hate her. It isn't because she comes in between Kagome and Inuyasha because that is typical in anime, but how many times are they going to kill her, but not really kill her. It gets old. Because I seem to be the only one who has addressed this I am going to keep a running count of how many times she "dies" and tally it all up in the end. First season we have her first death 50 years ago, when she falls off the cliff after she is brought back from the dead so that's two. I feel for her and technically she did have Inuyasha's heart first so I don't blame him for being torn, but after a while I just want her to die already. I am sure there will be more on this in other seasons so I will stop for now. 

Sesshomaru is the first villain we are introduced to in the series. He is Inuyasha's full demon half brother. Sesshomaru hates that Inuyasha is half human and that he associates with humans (first Kikyo and now Kagome). He also hates that his brother was left with Tessagia, the powerful sword made from their fathers fang. All this leads to Sesshomaru on a few occasions trying to kill his brother. Now I have to say that I have a mad crush on Sesshomaru, I don't even care that he is a semi-bad guy (kind of like Byakuya is Bleach, but that is a whole other anime). Sesshomaru has a loyal vassal, Jaken, who we really don't know much about in the first season expect his is annoying and everyone likes beating the crap out of him, including Sesshomaru. The become more important in latter seasons, almost as a parallel story line at parts, but they are rather limited in this season.

We are not introduced to the main villain of the series until episode 16, when we first hear of an evil and powerful demon who will do nothing to get the jewel fragments, Naraku. We also learn that he is the one who turned Inuyasha and Kikyo against one another as well as killing Kikyo. I was also impressed about how much we got to know the villain in just the first season. Usually in an anime they would leave the Naraku was actually Onigumo thing for a few more seasons. On a side note, why did they decide to make all of the villians in this anime hot (I know they are cartoons, but still).

My favorite episode this season has to be episode 13 when Inuyasha becomes human for the night. The fact that he has such an obvious handicap makes him more likable and I personally think he looks better with the black hair. Inuyasha tries not to make a big deal out of it, but becoming human one night every month really has to remind him just how he isn't quite demon or human. Also he seems to be much more straight forward with Kagome about how he feels when he is human though he is beat to hell and doesn't remember it later. I like when the main character has some sort of weak spot that he really can't do anything about. Even with this handicap he tries to fight and save Kagome and it is really a turning point in the series with how we see Inuyasha.

I like that in this anime it addresses the fact that Kagome has to balance saving feudal Japan, collecting the jewel shards, and her school work. In so many anime the fact that characters are in school is completely forgotten or ignored as the real plot line unfolds. Most of the action takes place in the school (like Boys Over Flowers) yet you don't see a single teacher or adult figure. Now I know that school systems are different outside of America, but the fact that these kids run rampant with no adults stepping in is so far fetched. However, this anime brings up the fact that Kagome is missing so much school and has tests she needs to study for. I like that though it isn't prominent all the time they don't forget about it. Also if I could get one of those spiritual necklaces that is one Inuyasha for most of the people I know that would be wonderful.    

Now I first watched this anime in English, but after watching it with subtitles (on Hulu if you would like to start watching it :) I don't know which one I like better. Inuyasha in the original is more dog like by growling and such and I really like that. However the first voice of Inuyasha and all the characters I was introduced to was the American voice actors so I am torn. Either way it is really amazing, but it is split about half and half between which voice actor I like better, the original or the American dubber.

This season gets a 4.8 out of 5. It gets such a high rating because my mom likes it and my mom really doesn'y like a lot of the anime that I watch. She thinks Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist are too dark, but she would stil and watch Inuyasha with me. If it gets Mom's approval it has to get high marks. It isn't a perfect 5 out of 5 because, well, I know it gets better. Stupid reason, yes. Do I care, no. 

The Secret Garden

I had to read this novel for me Children and Culture class and it happens to be the first time that I have read this book.

The plot of the novel focuses around Mary Lennox and her adventures in The Secret Garden. Mary's parents are killed in India from cholera and Mary is sent to live with her Uncle in London. Mary is a bratty and spoiled child and gets along poorly in London at first until she is told the story of the secret garden that her Uncle, Master Craven and his late wife tended together. After his wife's death Master Craven locked up the garden and buried the key. Mary, with the help of her robin friend, the first friend she had made in her ten years of life, finds the secret garden. Soon she enlists the help of Dickon, a younger brother to one of the maids of the house who has a way with animals, to help her tend to the garden. Mary also learns that she has a cousin part way through the novel. He never lets anyone see him because he is sickly and since he was born everyone has told him that he is going to be a hunchback and die young. His father won't look at him because his eyes are like his mother's but so sad. The Magic of the secret garden helps Colin realize that he is not as weak as everyone thinks he is and helps him get better. Both Colin and Mary at the end of the novel have also worked out their bratty tendencies a little though there is room for improvement. 

I was not a fan of the novel at all until the Dickon and Colin showed up. It might have been because Mary was isolated most of the time or the fact that she had an awful personality before then, but I almost couldn't stand the book until they were introduced. Especially Dickon, I loved his character, but near the end of the book when it was just description after endless description of the garden I just wanted it to be done. It also bothered me that none of the characters really changed except Mary and Collin. It can be said that they were the only characters that really needed to change, but all the other characters just felt so flat to me that it was hard to get into the story. I know that this is supposed to be a children's novel so a lot of complex characters isn't really what you are going for, but I still think that as a child the repetition would have bored me. 

Overall it was cute, but it isn't going to become my favorite children book. I give it a 3.5 out of 5

Special A

I am kind of on an anime kick right now so I am going back and rewatching all the series that I started, but never got around to finishing. One of these anime's is Special A

I honestly don't remember how I came across this anime, but it is rather entertaining and light hearted. It is centered around the seven members of the S.A. or Special A class. These are the top seven academic students in a prestigious academy who have there own greenhouse class room, uniforms and special privileges. All of these students except for Hikari are children of rich parents. However this difference in status doesn't bother them and they are all very close. Hikari only enrolled in this specific academy so that she could beat Kei Takishima who since they first met has always made Hikari number two. We follow the characters through a school year of being part of the Special A as well many changes in feelings and relationships along the way.

I still don't know exactly how I feel about Hikari, she is cute and bubbly, but I think at times it was over done. I know that anime characters are supposed to stand out because of their characteristics, but they really played up how oblivious she was about Kei's feeling until the last couple episodes. Even when she does finally realize she is still so reserved about it until the very end that I found it a little bit annoying. I loved that she was all about hard work and deteremination, but there is a point where too much of a good thing becomes annoying and I felt this way about Hikari sometimes. That being said, I think her and Kei's relationship is adorable and I am glad about how that turned out. 

I really liked Kei as a lead male. Like most anime leading men he was quite and hard to get along with, but the fact that we got into his head and it was obvious that from the beginning that he liked Hikari made me warm up to him quickly. The episode when he is sick has to be one of my favorites even if Hikari's idiotic tendencies makes me rather upset in this episode. The fact that he doesn't just work to protect Hikari, but all of his friends also makes him likable even though he is rather run of the mill when it comes to anime guys. On a complete side not, I had an issue with how they drew his eyes. I don't know what it was, but they were just weird to me. 

Akira and Tadashi were the voices of reason really in this anime, when they weren't having their own. Tadashi, though usually portrayed as a idiot who only wants to eat, multiple times throughout the series shows that he understands a lot more then what everyone gives him credit for. He is happy go lucky and a loyal friend, even if he is preoccupied with food. Akira is the reason to Hikari's wildness. She loves cooking for the group and usually keeps her head, but I also really loved the arc about her character because it made the anime not just about Hikari and Kei, but about the whole group. I really love the two of them as a couple, they are precious.

Rounding out the seven are Jun and Megumi, twin brother and sister, and Ryuu. Ryuu, who isn't related to the siblings takes care of them while their parents are out on tour and becomes a big brother, protector, and idol to Jun and Megumi. He also has a weird ability to make animals love him and he likes them in return, which causes quite a bit of jealousy with Jun and Megumi. Jun is a quite and rather shy boy until it is discovered that he has a split personality. A playboy that comes out when he is kissed by a girl, and his regular calm self. This play boy Jun causes many problems, but in the end gets him and Sakura, and outside character introduced to the group first as a marriage interview for Kei, together. I personally don't really like this couple, but I guess it could have been worst. Megumi has to be the most eccentric of the group because she doesn't speak (well until later in the series) but writes everything down in a sketch book to save her voice. Megumi, when she does sing, has almost destructive power unless listened to from far away. Megumi ends up in a relationship with Yahiro, who had been a villain for a few episodes, and they have to be my favorite couple in the series. There is just something about this "bad guy" who isn't bad after all taking care of Megumi that makes me into a gooey mess. 

Overall it was a fun and cute anime, but the ending kind of disappointed me. I wanted to see a shift in Hikari and Kei, but it was as if nothing changed. I guess that is what they both wanted, but I didn't want a kiss and then the end, I wanted something more. Just a little bit more. Due to this lack luster ending I give it a 4 out of 5. I will probably read the manga to see the ending they present, which is probably more hard fought. This is a fun anime to watch and just be happy, nothing really more though. 

City of Bones

City of Bones is the first book to one of my all time favorite series, The Mortal Instrument Series. Now the prequel series, Infernal Devices, actually came out after the first three books of this series so this was my first experience in the shadow world. Cassandra Clare really put a lot of effort into making this community and I have been fascinated ever since I first read this book. 

The plot revolves around fifteen year old Clary Fray who is an average teenager in New York City. She spends most of her time drawing and hanging out with her best friend Simon Lewis. However, one night when they are at the club Pandemonium, Clary witnesses three people her age kill another boy who they claim to be a demon. Soon after Clary's mom disappears and she is thrust into a world that is completely different then the one she has been seeing for the past fifteen years, though she hasn't set foot out of the city. As Clary works with the Shadowhunters Jace, Alec, and Isabelle, as well as their tutor Hodge, to find her mother she begins to learn things about herself, her relationships, her past, and her world that she could never imagine.  

The women of this series kick ass. It is as simple as that. Both Clary and Isabelle Lightwood don't let themselves be push around though they do it in two completely different fashions. Even Clary's mother Jocelyn, though absent for most of the book, is painted as a strong willed female. Clary is amazing, funny, quick witted, but still enough of an average girl that the reader can relate to her. She has problems dealing with her mom, her drawings hardly ever come out the way she wants them to, and she thinks she looks twelve instead of almost sixteen. Clary is a wonderful heroine, but she is far from perfect which makes the reader love her even more. Isabelle is what you would expect from a Hollywood leading woman. She is stunningly attractive, all the guys are enchanted by her, and at times she is a complete bitch. Even though Isabelle is a complete bitch there is something about her that you can't help but like, it is really weird. Maybe it is because, like Clary, secretly we all want to be a little like Isabelle. Either way both have no problem speaking their mind and taking out anyone they need to.

The men of this book are just as lovable and as amazing as the women. Jace Wayland is the main male lead (I feel like I am describing a play but this seems like the best way to do it) and a Shadowhunter that lives at the Institute with Alec and Isabelle Lightwood. Jace is a smartass, charming, and just that type of guy that every girl is attracted to, but probably wouldn't want to date because you know he wouldn't be good for you. He is also damaged, he fears loving anything or anyone too much because everything he has ever cared for has been taken from him. Even his best friend and fighting partner Alec can't break through his shell a lot of the time. Alec is almost the opposite of Jace, quite and reserved, almost scared to have people notice him, and yet still as attractive as his sister when someone stops and looks at him. In this novel you really don't like Alec until the end of the book, but his character is well crafted and you can understand his motives even if he pisses you off.

*spoilers past this point*

The two non-shadowhunter men in the book are Simon Lewis, Clary's best friend, and Luke Garroway, who is Clary's mother best friend. Simon is amazing, I can't say enough about his character. He is in love with Clary, who is oblivious to this fact, but also sarcastic, caring, smart, and just nerdy enough to be adorable. Simon and Jace have some of the best lines in the novel and they are so natural as well as funny that it is hard not thinking of them as actually people. Simon, even though he is not a shadow hunter, is also useful to the group and though he makes them get into a pretty bad situation having to go into a vampire lair to get him back  he makes it up for getting them out of one. Luke, though you rather hate him at the beginning of the novel, is really loveable after we find out that he is a werewolf and the story behind how he became a werewolf. It is amazing that within a chapter Luke became probably my favorite character. I love him.

From a writing point of view I found the dialogue to be absolutely amazing. You never realize how hard it is trying to write how people actually talk until you try to do it yourself. Cassandra Clare captures teenage speech perfectly as well as jokes, back and forth retorts, and sarcastic humor perfectly. The characters themselves are wonderful constructed and become living and breathing as you get further into the story and dialogue is a major way to make this happen.

Overall this book gets a 5 out of 5. I honestly think that everyone should at least give it a shot. The ending is a little...I don't know how to describe it without giving it away, but do not let it stop you from reading the other books, if you liked the story that it. I swear to you it has a gratifying ending, I won't say happy, but definitely gratifying. 

Skip Beat Anime

With the drama coming out I wanted to get a feel for the story before diving in so I went and watched the anime version of Skip Beat. I absolutely adored it, until the very end. How they thought that was a good place to end it is beyond me, but I will rant about that later. 

The plot line revolves are Sho Fuwa, Ren Tsuruga, and the lead female Kyoko Mogami. Kyoko was Sho's childhood friend and is madly in love with him. She quits school after middle school and moves with Sho to Tokyo so that he can pursue his singing career while Kyoko works many part time jobs to pay for the apartment that they live in. Kyoko soon finds out however that Sho is just using her as a maid and has no feelings for her at all. Kyoko swears to get revenge, but there is no way to do that except to enter Showbiz herself. Through her strong will and frightening atmoshere when it comes to Sho Kyoko makes it into the LME company which is the rival of Sho's and also where Sho'd rival Ren is the main star. Ren takes a disliking to Kyoko when he finds out she is only acting for revenge, but as the story progress becomes a mentor to her and soon the two are helping one another with their acting roles and personal lives, though Kyoko, being younger and always seeming to get on Ren's bad side, is more sneaky about it then Ren is.

I love Kyoko. I love her so much! I love that she has this dark side, yet can still be light and airy when she is truly touched. I never found her annoying like I have with a lot of other anime lead females and I was able to relate to her because her character wasn't one sided. Her personalty switches so rapidly that it is comical, yet I know people who's mood changes just as fast so it isn't quite in the realm of fasntasy. I loved that she just didn't sit around bitching or waiting for someone to save her, but for the most part took her life into her own hands, but still could admit when she was wrong. Her character was one that you could easily laugh at as well as love.  

Kanae Kotonami is the other female that is prominante in the series and also becomes likable in her own right. After an initial triumphs over Kyoko she is also sent to the Love Me section. Though she wants nothing to do with Kyoko she is soon drawn in by her character and they become unlikely friends. I like that there is a rather serious and calm character to mellow out Kyoko's extremes, but Kanae still had out bursts of her own. The two characters balanced each other out wonderfully.

Ren Tsuruga is probably one of the few male anime leads that made me love him without me even noticing. I didn't even realized I liked him until things were so unresolved in the end. It isn't that you hate him while the chow is progressing, but it is such a gradual progression from him just being a character to you actually liking him that I didn't even notice it. He isn't really all that different then the other lead males, but there was just something in this story line that made me really care for him, at times more then I cared about Kyoko. Maybe it was because he was so guarded and reserved or maybe because he was rather mean to Kyoko, but really it was for her own good. I can't really describe it, but I really liked his character.

Sho Fuwa, unfortunately, is not really in the series all that much, but from the few times we see him his personality becomes clear. He is childish and selfish and you can't help but grow to hate him as much as Kyoko does because we follow her through out most of the show. My favorite episodes of the series, however, where when Sho and Kyoko interacted at his promo shoot. It let the watcher get into his head and see exactly what was going on, not just what Kyoko thought about him. I wish he would have been in the series more often, but then again it was cut off rather abruptly. 

Overall it gets a 3 out of 5. It would have been so much higher is not for the ending. They built up so much tension that was never resolved and left to many lose ends that I literally felt like punching a wall. They followed the manga so closely, which is still ongoing, but ended before resolving all the problems that were introduced. Even the romances, or budding romances, were ignored. It made me so upset that I am not reading the manga to see what happens because they ended in the middle of a story arch. I don't know why I was so surprised though, the manga is usually always better then the anime, but ending in the middle of a story arch....really. It is worth a watch and is fun, but just be ready for a disappointing ending. 

Spring Semester

So I have gone to all my classes except a recitation and a lecture and I think this semester is going to be really fun, a lot of reading and writing to do, but fun.

Introduction to Film - it is at 9 in the morning, which is a bummer, but I am going to watch and talk about movies so it isn't too bad. It is not a writing intensive course, which is marvelous since I have three this semester already. I don't really have an opinion on the professor yet, she doesn't seem horrible or really fun, just average. We watched a silent film the first day, Sherlock Jr., and I am really starting to love them. They are so light hearted and fun and the actors really put a lot of effort into portraying their characters.

Advanced Fiction - Well is it mostly the same class from last semester plus a few others who took the night intermediate fiction class (one of these people being the boy I thought was cute in Intro to fiction) We are allowed to do novel excerpts in this class, which makes me a little more at ease since I am more of a novel writer then a short story person, though I have gotten better due to these classes. I just am a little leery about others reading them, but then again I always am

Research Methods - The material is going to be boring as all hell, but my professor is adorable. She is from Russia and still has a wonderful accent as well as being a really cool person. She is a Grad student so she is really relaxed and chill, which for a two and a half hour class is really nice. Even though I think I am going to dislike the material I think the lecture is going to be fun.

Russian Short Stories in Context - I had no idea it was just Russian short stories until I got to class this morning, but I like Russian literature for the most part so it shouldn't be too bad. Russian Fairy Tales was pretty fun and I can take a good dose of depressing when the occasion calls for it. Though there does seem to be a lot of reading, which with all my other classes is going to be difficult, but I'll manage. My professor is also a Grad student and she also has an accent, though she didn't tell us what nationality she was.

Children and Culture - I have only had recitation for this class so far, but my TA is so sweet. She is South African and has an amazing accent (can you tell I love accents?). She is also very smart and easy to talk to and the class is really laid back so I feel comfortable talking. It should be really helpful when we actually get into material, though I basically have to run from my earlier class to get there on time since it is almost totally across campus.

So that's about it. I wanted to give you all a heads up so when I start bitching you will know what it's all about XD


 

One for the Money

I used my winter break to get some reading done, one of the books I reread was One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

I just recently found out that the movie is coming out this January, so excited, so I thought it was a perfect time to reread the series. I actually came by this series in a kind of unusual fashion. My brother, who it two and a half years older then me, was taking a Detective Fiction class in college and this was one of the course books. He had left it on the dinning room table one weekend when he came home and I started leafing through it as I waited for the Sims to load on the computer in the dinning room. I was instantly sucked in and finished it before the weekend was over. Not soon after I started collecting the rest of the series and I haven't regretted a thing. 

This book starts with Stephanie Plum in a very low spot in her life. She was recently laid off and is quickly running out of furniture and appliances to sell to make ends meet. In a moment of complete desperation she blackmails her cousin into giving her a job as a bound enforcement agent, bounty hunter, for his bail bonds office. Her first Failure To Appear she needs to find, none other then vice cop Joe Morelli who has had a very stormy relationship with Stephanie since the train incident in his father's garage when she was six. Now the capture is turning personal, though Stephanie tires to convince herself it is just for the $10,000 she'll make for the capture. As Stephanie gets further into tracking down Morelli she finds out that everything isn't exactly what it seems. Soon someone is trying to kill Stephanie and she has a crazy boxer insistent on doing very bad things to her, Stephanie soon finds herself over her head, but she isn't about to give up.

The characters in this novel, as well as series, are absolutely amazing and very real. Stephanie is a character that almost any woman can relate to. She hates working out and spiders, loves food, and wants to loss weight. She is unique and fun and since the story is told from her point of view you never know what to expect from her next. Ranger, another bond enforcement agent, is all sorts of badass and also helps Stephanie learn the ropes. Though you don't see much of him in his novel, the dynamic between him and Stephanie is wonderfully written. Joe Morelli is a character that is hard to put words to, he is fun and flirty and also a complete asshole. We don't see all that much of him until the very end of the novel and though he is very caring and protective towards Stephanie, he still has the ability to piss her off like no other. The dialogue between the two of them is some of the best in the entire novel. There are many other colorful characters that we run into, like Stephanie's family, but these three are the spotlights of this novel.  

Overall this book gets a 4.7 out of 5. It doesn't get a perfect score because I know it gets better, which is rather unfair, but whatever. If you enjoy mysteries or just want to be very entertained I recommend this book. The characters will quickly grow on you and the dialogue is wonderful.